Interview with Jessica Peterson
Hey Jessica, great to finally catch up with you. Why not start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Jessica Peterson. I am a stay-at-home mom of two, soon to be three, lovely children. I love reading, writing, traveling and being outside. And as long as I leave this world feeling like I’ve helped people and given my family all the love and acceptance they felt they needed, I’ll know my life was exactly as I wanted.
So is writing your full time career?
I wish. It truly is my dream to be able to make a living off of my writing, but for the time being I am a stay-at-home mom, planning to go back to work once the kids start school.
Yes it’s a challenge that most indie authors seem to have to face! What is the worst job that you have ever done, and why?
I really don’t think I’ve ever had a bad job. I’ve worked for not so pleasant people though.
If you could have written any other book by any other author, what would it be, and why?
Pride and Prejudice, Les Miserables, or Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I’m a huge fan of classics and the emotions that these books evoked in me, especially the latter, makes me a huge fan of the authors.
This is going to make me sound incredibly ignorant however up until this second when I have googled it, I have never heard of Uncle Tom’s Cabin before. I am going to put it down to being British…I can see now that the book is iconic! What Genre is your work – Do you have any plans to work outside of it?
I’ve considered it literary fiction but have been told it’s women’s fiction. I don’t really plan what I write or what genre it happens to be in, the ideas just come to me and whatever category the finished product falls under, I’m okay with.
Your book is on our list pending review… What inspired you to write your first book?
I had a dream with parts of the book and it never left me. I kept daydreaming about it and finally made the decision to try my hand at writing. Best decision I’ve made and the best hobby I’ve found.
Let’s hope that one day you can turn it from a hobby into a career! Do you ever get ideas at random moments, and if so how do you hang onto them?
I always get ideas at random moments. If I don’t have a pen (or any writing tool) and paper on hand, I try to repeat whatever came to me over and over so I don’t lose it. If I do forget, I hope it comes back and if not, I let go.
Do you have a structure when you are writing, and if so what?
I need to have at least a general idea of the outline. I generally get more ideas as I plug along and have stacks of notes. After a rough draft it’s many rounds of editing. Then critique partners, more editing, more editing, and more editing. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so it takes me a long time to feel like something is ready to publish.
Which was your favourite character to write, and why?
I really like all of my characters but perhaps the main character, Anna Wilson, is one of my favourites simply because she’s a strong female protagonist as opposed to the typical strong male lead.
Do you read for pleasure or out of habit?
For pleasure. However, since becoming a writer, I find myself much more critical of other writing. I’ve also taken a bigger interest in reading other indie authors and offering reviews.
Well, if you would like to review for us Jessica, the door is definitely open! What are you reading at the moment, and why?
Running Free-Breaking out from locked-in syndrome. I haven’t been able to write reviews on amazon because I haven’t purchased anything so another author suggested I try ‘buying’ a free book. I still can’t write reviews because it doesn’t count as a purchase but I’m so glad I found this book. It is AMAZING!
You could always purchase one very cheap book…Meat eater or vegetarian?
Meat eater although I’ve always wished I had the will power to give up meat.
What is your favourite movie and why?
One of my favourites at the moment is Tangled. Yes it’s a kids movie. These days, that’s about all I get to watch. It’s one of my favourites because it’s absolutely adorable!
Tangled is FAB – My daughter and I have watched it several times!! Changing subject completely, do you have an opinion on life after death, and if so what?
I have no definite answer but I think it would be silly to believe that death is the end. I believe we each have a soul that lives on one way or another, whether we become spirits or reincarnate into another life.
When you eat out would you choose Chinese, Indian or Italian, or other, if so what?
Chinese. There’s the most delicious Chinese restaurant where I grew up and every time I visit I HAVE to go there to eat.
London, Paris or New York and why?
Paris maybe. Because I’ve been to the south of France and wanted to travel more but never got the chance.
We went to Paris for a long weekend many moons ago and whilst we bypassed it on the way to Holland last year we haven’t had a chance to go back…It is a magical city!
What do you have in the pipeline?
As in what’s next with my writing? YES The sequel to The Key to Life. I originally wrote the whole thing as one book but the more I delved into the world of writing and the more fabulous and helpful writers I met, the more I realized how much work my writing needed. With each new edit, the novel grew in size and considering debut novels are generally a certain length, I made the decision to cut the book into two parts.
I did that with my first Granny Irene book, I wrote it as a whole but then because it came in at over 800 pages I decided to split it into three parts. Part 1 is currently available whilst parts 2 and 3 should fingers crossed be available in 2014…There is only so much that readers can cope with at any one time!! What inspired you to be a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed writing. As a child, creative writing was one of my favourite activities in school. As a teenager, I actually enjoyed essays for English classes. When I decided to write a book, it felt so natural.
Do you write poetry or short stories as well? If so what?
I certainly can appreciate poetry and the occasional short story but I think I’ll stick to novels.
What is your earliest childhood memory?
I don’t know if I have a bad memory but I don’t seem to have many. One that comes to mind right away is just hanging out with my Dad and his buddies. I was only about three at the time so I don’t remember the whole story but I remember being stopped by the police. When I was older and mentioned this memory to my Dad, he told me he and his buddies were having a few drinks and driving (tsk, tsk), but I think they got stopped because I didn’t have a seatbelt and was just on my Dad’s lap.
I think drink driving was the norm and more socially acceptable a generation ago…It is something that no-one of sane mind would countenance these days though! How do you overcome writers block?
I haven’t really been affected by writer’s block. There are times when I’m looking for a word and I can’t for the life of me think of what it is, this is what I consider writer’s block. At times like those, I try a thesaurus. It doesn’t always work.
Where would you like to be in 5 year time?
I would love to have at least five books under my belt, five published books. I would also like to have sold at least a million copies. But who wouldn’t?
The five published books under your belt is totally achievable…In terms of sales figures, well, sometimes I think that is in the lap of the Gods and sometimes I think you just have to work round the clock to make your dream come true…
If you only had 60 seconds remaining on this planet, what would you say, and who would you say it to?
I would tell my kids that I love them and even though I might not be able to be here in person, I would always be with them in spirit.
What advice would you give your 18 year old self?
Like many teens, I went a little wild with booze when I became legal age (it’s 17 or 18 in Canada depending on which province). I would have told myself not to rely on others to look out for me and keep me safe during those times. I also would have like to have been more aware of people who stuck around just to use me. I would have told myself that not everything was as it seemed, my mother wasn’t the end all, be all, and there was so much more to the situation that I wasn’t seeing. And most importantly I would have told myself that I was pretty amazing and doing a great job with what I knew. In the end, there are things I wish I’d known but I have no regrets because I can’t change the past so there’s no point dwelling on it.
I also went wild with the booze as a teenager and now as a mother of a teenager I am dreading what is yet to come!!! Jessica you have been a dream to talk to and we will definitely be reviewing your book in the not too distant future! If you would like to join our reviewing team simply shout up!
http://www.amazon.com/Jessica-Peterson/e/B00CQOY0SQ
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/313369
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJessicaPeterson
